State law protects universities from being charged

When the Tigers take on Florida State this weekend, 90 state troopers working 12-hour shifts will direct traffic to and from the stadium. The cost to South Carolina taxpayers? $33,480.

This year alone, the S.C. Dept. of Public Safety will spend $568,404 providing traffic control at college football games and other large events. The agency must absorb the cost of these services, because a budget proviso (63.1) prevents troopers from charging a fee without the General Assembly’s approval.

“The way we look at it is, we're going to be paying these troopers to work somewhere and the service we provide at these large sporting events is part of our mission," said Lt. Kelley Hughes, of the South Carolina Department of Public Safety.

Officials gave WYFF News 4 Investigates a breakdown of what these services cost. This year, traffic control at USC and Clemson foot games will cost $200,880 for each university. S.C. State football, which requires fewer troopers, will cost taxpayers $10,850.

But it’s more than just football. Traffic control at the Darling Sprint Cup Race last May cost $39,060. The 10-day Coastal Carolina Fair cost $39,680. Troopers also directed traffic at the horse race in Camden and the Heritage Golf Tournament at Hilton Head Island. Those two events cost a combined $56,470, according to SCDPS.

Not everyone agrees it’s a good use of taxpayer money.

“It seems unfair to spend money on traffic control when we don’t have enough patrolmen on the roads,” said Republican state Sen. Mike Fair, of Greenville.

Fair believes universities that profit from sporting events should bear some of the cost.

“The large schools could handle it. They wouldn't smile about it, but they could do it," he said.

However, a Clemson University spokesperson said the economic benefit of football games “have a tremendous positive economic impact on the state.”

“A single home football game accounts for 198 jobs, $10.3 million in total output, $733,000 in net state revenue and $542,000 in net local government revenue,” said Cathy Sams, chief public affairs Officer.

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WHETHER OR NOT YOU PLAN TO ATTEND THE GAME THIS SATURDAY IN CLEMSON, YOU'LL STILL END UP PAYING. WYFF NEWS 4 INVESTIGATES HAS LEARNED.. THE COST OF HAVING TROOPERS AT COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAMES COMES OUT OF YOUR POCKET.. NOT THE UNIVERSITY'S. NEWS 4'S TIM WALLER IS HERE WITH THE INVOICE. THIS IS A BILL YOU WOULD NOT WANT TO GET IN YOUR MAILBOX, MICHAEL AND CAROL. BUT THE FACT IS... IT ARRIVES EVERY YEAR.. YOU JUST DON'T SEE IT. IT'S THE COST OF TRAFFIC CONTROL AT COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAMES.. AND OTHER LARGE PUBLIC EVENTS. IT'S HARD TO IMAGINE WHAT GAME DAY IN COLUMBIA OR ANYWHERE ELSE.. WITHOUT TROOPERS KEEPING ALL THOSE CARS IN CHECK. "There's just too much traffic out here, too many cars. "Waaay too many cars." THIS IS NOT JUST A PUBLIC SERVICE. THE COST FOR ALL THIS COMES DIRECTLY OUT OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY'S BUDGET. BETWEEN TRAFFIC CONTROL IN COLUMBIA, CLEMSON AND S-C STATE.. TROOPERS WORKING 12-HOUR SHIFTS AT A COST OF 31-DOLLARS AN HOUR EACH... ...COST TAXPAYERS 412-THOUSAND DOLLARS THIS YEAR. ADD THE COST OF HORSE RACES, CAR RACES, GOLF TOURNAMENTS AND FAIRS.. THE NUMBER JUMPS TO 568- THOUSAND DOLLARS... AN EXPENSE WE PAY YEAR AFTER YEAR. "Well, the way we look at it is, we're going to be paying these troopers to work somewhere and the service that we provide at these large sporting events is part of our mission." THE ONES WHO DON'T PAY.. ARE THE UNIVERSITIES THEMSELVES. THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY IS BANNED BY A STATE BUDGET PROVISO FROM BILLING COLLEGES FOR TRAFFIC CONTROL... EVEN WHEN COLLEGES MAKE MONEY. "Who's making it? The school is. Maybe they should be paying a little on it." STATE SENATOR MIKE FAIR SAYS FOR YEARS, LAWMAKERS HAVE DEBATED THIS ISSUE. FAIR, WHO SPOKE TO US BY PHONE, SAID "IT SEEMS UNFAIR TO SPEND MONEY ON TRAFFIC CONTROL WHEN WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH PATROLMEN ON THE ROADS." BUT UNIVERSITIES ARGUE.. IT'S WORTH EVERY PENNY TO TAXPAYERS, WHO ULTIMATELY BENEFIT FROM SPORTING EVENTS. A SPOKESPERSON FOR CLEMSON SAYS A SINGLE FOOTBALL GAME.. ...GENERATES A HALF-MILLION DOLLARS IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT REVENUE.. AND 733-THOUSAND IN STATE REVENUE.. WHICH FAR OUTWEIGHS THE 200-THOUSAND SPENT EACH YEAR.. ON CLEMSON TRAFFIC. THERE IS ALSO THE QUESTION.. IF TROOPERS DIDN'T DO THIS.. WHO EXACTLY WOULD? "That's a good question. I don't know. That's a very good question." IT'S THE COST OF GETTING TO THE GAME ON TIME. SENATOR LARRY MARTIN OF PICKENS ALSO BELIEVES.. THE BENEFITS OF TAXPAYER- FUNDED TRAFFIC CONTROL FAR OUTWEIGH THE COSTS. MARTIN SAID "IT'S THE COST OF DOING BUSINESS"... AND "WE'D SPEND A LOT MORE THAN THAT ON ADVERTISING." JUST KNOW THIS.. WHEN CLEMSON PLAYS FLORIDA STATE ON SATURDAY.. THAT SINGLE GAME WILL COST YOU, THE TAXPAYER, MORE THAN $33,000 FOR TRAFFIC CONTROL.

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